Life

Seven Years Strong: Lyle Anderson's Triathlon Turnaround

Kona Inspired winner Lyle Anderson is heading to Hawaii to race an event that defines his new outlook on life.

by Jennifer Ward Barber

Lyle Anderson’s Kona Inspired journey began almost seven years ago. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis on his 30th birthday, Anderson was told that in five to 10 years he could be in a wheelchair. "I didn’t hear ‘could.’ I heard ‘will,’" he says. Anderson, now 36, says he went through a period of depression and felt defeated.

"I had a really hard time seeing the positive in the middle of all of it," he says.

Three years later, Anderson had a wake-up call. At 245 pounds, he knew that he had some lifestyle changes to make. "I wanted to be able to say ‘hey, if I do end up in a wheelchair, at least I can say I did what I wanted to do and have no regrets.’"

The Utah-based sales rep’s first round of goals were humble: He wanted to be fit enough to go on the occasional backpacking trip with friends. In 2010, Anderson’s father-in-law bought him an entry to the St. George marathon. His newfound love for running led Anderson to the local endurance community and he began to volunteer, first at the 2011 IRONMAN St. George event. Eventually, though, he decided he wanted to compete himself.

"I wanted to become a triathlete," he says. When he learned that 2012 would be the last full-distance running of IRONMAN St. George, Anderson knew he had to sign up. "I started realizing, hey, I can do this. This isn’t going to conquer me, I’m going to conquer this."

Anderson says the race was the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life. "It was a mental challenge the whole day," he says, after he finished in 16:05 on what has since been called some of the toughest conditions ever seen in an IRONMAN. He now has seven marathons, 38 half-marathons, four IRONMAN 70.3 races, 12 Olympic distance triathlons, four sprint distance races and more 5k's than he cares to keep track of to his credit. "I think I realized that I have a timeline," he says. "My outlook was always "I can do that whenever. Now it’s like I’m almost trying to squeeze in as much as I can while I can—I jump into every race I can because I want to do them all."

As one of this year’s Kona Inspired athletes, Anderson is excited that his first trip to Hawaii will be for the monumental race. On top of that, he’s enjoyed finding a niche inspiring others who are facing challenges of their own. "It’s how you handle your adversity that creates the person that you are and helps form the person that you want to become," he says.

With training, and a new focus on diet, Anderson says he’s been able to continue doing what he loves; he’s been free of flare-ups for the past seven years after experiencing two back-to-back ones when he was first diagnosed. "I feel better on the days that I work out than I do on my recovery days," he says. He no longer dwells on the fact that he has MS, but on doing what he puts his mind to. "There isn’t anything that’s going to hold me back," he says.

As he prepares to head to the Big Island, two things stand out on Anderson’s agenda. Number one is swimming in the ocean. He says he’s comfortable in fresh water and the pool, but salt water and the wide-open ocean? That’s another story. Next up? Making sure he’s got plenty of sunscreen packed, a tip he got from local St. George pro Heather Wurtele. "The Wurtele’s have given me the most sound advice of anyone," Anderson says. "Heather said a lot of people underestimate the intensity of the sun and how important it is to not overheat."